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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28084644">there was one prize i'd cheat to win</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/greymooses/pseuds/chatsdelune'>chatsdelune (greymooses)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>kismet-verse [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Monsta X (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Animal Shelter, Alternate Universe - Veterinarians, Chae Hyungwon is a little shit, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Jeon Wonwoo is a Little Shit, M/M, Medical Procedures, Minor Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Minor Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu, Mutual Pining, everyone is whipped istg, i have a het-leaning-bi!woozi agenda and no one can stop me, jeongcheol are jihoon's wise and exhausted gay friends, jihoon takes home a cat and also a tiger, not graphic tho, so many idiots, tech!soonyoung, vet!jihoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 19:15:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,062</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28084644</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/greymooses/pseuds/chatsdelune</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"are we one step closer to finally figuring out if he likes men?" wonwoo wonders.</p><p>hyungwon huffs a laugh. "he agreed to stay for an event when soonyoung, wearing a pride jacket, asked. at this point, i'd bet he's not straight. he might even like him."</p><p>"love you two talking about me like i'm not here," soonyoung interjects. maybe he's pouting.</p><p>"shouldn't you be with your patients?" — wonwoo again. somewhat urgently, and he figures out why when the door at the opposite end of the room opens. a guy walks in from outside, looking adoringly at the dog by his side. all soonyoung can think is "tall."</p><p>(or: jihoon fixes cats and dogs at a shelter on the weekend, soonyoung helps, both of them have crushes. wonwoo is a little shit. mingyu is new. hyungwon is Tired.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>kismet-verse [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1476035</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. week one</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>heyyyy so i have this very cool veterinary au from my mx days and i thought omg i should use it! bc monteen! and it's fun to write! and here we are.</p><p>1. the only thing you really need to know is that hyungwon basically runs an animal shelter, and these four (soonhoon and minwon) do different volunteer shit.<br/>2. pov alternates! tiger and rice emojis as headings, which as i post i'm regretting, but too late now.<br/>3. only 4 actual chapters, chapter 5 is just full of reference images if you're into that bc i have a Problem fr.</p><p><strong>cw</strong> animal spays and neuters are a huge part of the plot bc it's why they interact at all, so if you're incredibly bothered by even non-graphic mentions of these things or surgical instruments, sorry for bringing it up and you should pass.</p><p>basically i tried to write soonhoon without letting them fuck in a closet and this is what happened</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>🐯<br/>
"shit, he's here. wonwoo, i'll pay you. i'll place all your catheters for the next month. i'll—"</p><p>"how much?"</p><p>"twenty."</p><p>"forty."</p><p>"we're <em>volunteers.</em>"</p><p>"yeah, and outside of here, you make more than me."</p><p>soonyoung hears him at the front desk, getting closer — lee jihoon, the veterinarian who does all of the shelter's spays and neuters on his day off. for free. — and pulls out his wallet. he slaps the money into wonwoo's open palm.</p><p>"nice doing business with you."</p><p>"you suck."</p><p>"i'll be helping hyungwon with dog pictures and info sheets if you need me," he says, and then he's gone.</p><p>soonyoung pushes his hair back and checks that everything is set up to work as efficiently as possible. it's a cat neuter day, so it should go pretty quickly, which is both great and terribly unfortunate. jihoon is cute, and soonyoung definitely wouldn't mind kissing him a little, but no one is quite sure what his orientation is, not even hyungwon and he's "kissed enough boys for two lifetimes" — his words.</p><p>he's determined to figure it out.</p><p>the door swings open and jihoon enters in a black jean jacket over a white shirt, which seems very impractical for surgery. he's digging in his bag, doesn't seem to see soonyoung until after he pulls out a blue scrub top and stethoscope, mumbles "aha," and looks up. he maybe hesitates for a split second — soonyoung isn't really sure if he does or if he's imagining things he wants to be true, like telling himself the milk that's been open in his fridge for two weeks still tastes fine.</p><p>"soonyoung." — a statement, not a question, like he's disappointed or something. "isn't it wonwoo's week?" he asks as he tosses his bag in a corner. he holds the scrub top and stethoscope between his knees while he shrugs the jacket off.</p><p>soonyoung almost laughs at how his shirt clings to his chest and arms because what else is he supposed to do when confronted with evidence he could probably be benched by someone who barely comes up to his chin?</p><p>"hyungwon needed some help taking photos and wonwoo really wanted to do that instead."</p><p>jihoon shrugs. he pulls the top on and wraps the stethoscope around the back of his neck. soonyoung fiddles with instruments and supplies and tries to avoid staring as jihoon approaches the cages, cooing quietly at the cats and checking their charts. if him doing this spay and neuter thing on his day off wasn't proof enough that he's a good person, the way he always talks to the animals would be.</p><p>"you can get the first one ready," he finally says.</p><p>soonyoung lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. approaching the cages means he's Very Close to jihoon, and he just can't <em>keep his mouth shut.</em> "what else is on the agenda this weekend? short day today, are you doing anything fun later?"</p><p>jihoon is staring at a chart and doesn't answer him, just makes a weird humming sound. it's another minute before he's done checking everything and finally speaks. "going to the gym."</p><p>"what?" soonyoung asks after a pause.</p><p>"you asked if i was doing anything fun later."</p><p>soonyoung looks at him questioningly but can't tell if he's serious. given his physique, soonyoung is afraid he is. "the gym isn't supposed to be fun. the gym is a medieval torture device."</p><p>"back then i think it was called swinging a sword around and riding horses. sounds pretty fun to me. so you just look like that from working in a surgical suite all day?" he shoots back, raising an eyebrow at him.</p><p>soonyoung hasn't talked to him about non-work topics enough to tell if he's flirting or not, even though he's seen him every weekend for two months. he might as well go with the flirting option. "okay, some dogs are really heavy," he argues, "which you should know, and i never said i don't <em>go.</em>"</p><p>jihoon smirks, barely, before silence falls over them again. he doesn't say anything until the cat is anesthetized and he's adjusting his gloves. "you plan on taking that off?" he asks.</p><p>it takes soonyoung a second to realize he means his jacket. which means jihoon <em>saw</em> the jacket. which of course he did, but it's rainbow striped — a gift from myungho. it adds another layer to the 'was he flirting' question. "not unless you plan on throwing cat testicles at me or something. this isn't exactly a messy surgery and i always get cold in here."</p><p>jihoon ignores him, makes two quick cuts, then says, totally deadpan, "i always loved dodgeball."</p><p>soonyoung is so surprised by it that he laughs way louder than he normally does with people who aren't a part of his social circle.</p><p>jihoon smiles at him and shrugs. "it's your jacket, do what you want. prep the second guy on the other table? i promise i won't throw cat testicles at your back, even though i want to now that i've said it."</p><p>"i appreciate that," soonyoung says on his way to the cages for cat number two. jihoon is done with the first cat by the time he's done with the second and they switch places.</p><p>he considers, for like half a second, throwing a testicle at jihoon's back.</p><p>"don't even think about it."</p><p>soonyoung snorts, but turns his attention to all of the little post-op tasks and getting the third cat ready.</p><p>they have five to do. it goes much quicker than he'd like.</p><p>jihoon helps him take care of trash and towels and clean everything after the last cat is back in his cage. soonyoung knows he's only waiting for everyone to wake up in case there are any issues, but it's nice of him to help anyway. afterwards, he pulls his scrub top off, replaces his jacket, and spends a few minutes scribbling surgical notes in charts.</p><p>soonyoung labels pain medication for everyone and tries not to stare at him, but labels are boring. jihoon's concentration face is not.</p><p>again. he just can't keep his mouth shut. "so the shelter is having a halloween adoption drive thing next weekend..." soonyoung starts. jihoon peers up at him. "if you wanted to do something a little more fun after sterilizing a handful of dogs than going to the gym, i mean. it's hyungwon's pet project" he rambles. "no pun intended."</p><p>
  <em>soonyoung, oh my god.</em>
</p><p>jihoon briefly laughs though, so maybe it's fine.</p><p>"it was a good one. i guess i could stick around. plenty of animals here to play with, at least."</p><p>"wonwoo will be here, too, obviously, but more people to answer questions is always a good thing. he's done it for a couple of years in a row and there's already a lot of interest on social—"</p><p>"you don't have to convince me, i already said i'd stay for it," jihoon interrupts. he grabs his bag and swings it over his shoulder.</p><p>soonyoung can't read his tone at all, which is ridiculously annoying, but has never stopped him before — it's not even the first time <em>today</em>. "do you have cat ears or should i have hyungwon—"</p><p>jihoon interrupts him with a very dramatic eye roll and turns away from him.</p><p>"dog ears?"</p><p>jihoon shakes his head and leaves without answering.</p><p>soonyoung will ask hyungwon to get an extra pair of each just in case.</p><p> <br/>
 <br/>
he finds wonwoo and hyungwon in the dog kennels. literally. they're sitting next to each other on a dog bed in a large mutt's cage, mutt nowhere to be found.</p><p>"did you eat him?"</p><p>"new volunteer is walking him," hyungwon hums, paying far more attention to his camera than soonyoung.</p><p>wonwoo doesn't look away from the tablet on his lap, either, just asks, "how was jihoon today?" </p><p>they're so <em>boring</em> when they're together.</p><p>"he's going to stay for the drive next weekend. wonnie, can you bring extra ears? he wouldn't tell me which kind."</p><p>"sure."</p><p>"are we one step closer to finally figuring out if he likes men?" wonwoo wonders.</p><p>hyungwon huffs a laugh. "he agreed to stay for an event when soonyoung, wearing a pride jacket, asked. at this point, i'd bet he's not straight. he might even like him."</p><p>"love you two talking about me like i'm not here," soonyoung interjects. maybe he's pouting.</p><p>"shouldn't you be with your patients?" — wonwoo again. somewhat urgently, and he figures out why when the door at the opposite end of the room opens. a guy walks in from outside, looking adoringly at the dog by his side. all soonyoung can think is "tall."</p><p>"you didn't tell me the new guy looks like that," soonyoung whispers.</p><p>"wonwoo already staked a claim," hyungwon says. at normal volume.</p><p>wonwoo looks like he wants to dissolve into the floor. "i didn't <em>stake a claim.</em>"</p><p>"i mean, you were 'what the fuck'ing about his very casual outfit compared to last weekend's 'expensive clothes' for a good two minutes when he left with the first dog. what else would you call that?"</p><p>"oh, yeah, that's whipped behavior," soonyoung agrees.</p><p>"can you both <em>shut up?</em>" wonwoo hisses as the new, tall, very pretty dog walker gets closer.</p><p>"who's whipped?" he asks.</p><p>"hyungwon," wonwoo answers quickly, then nods his head between him and soonyoung. "mingyu, soonyoung. soonyoung, mingyu."</p><p>"oh, cool. um, are you guys moving?" he asks, leash held tight. he looks right at wonwoo when he asks, like hyungwon isn't even there. soonyoung has to actively stop himself from laughing.</p><p>"you can put him in the cage on the other side," hyungwon replies, and mingyu nods.</p><p>wonwoo gives soonyoung a warning glare, for what he considers to be no good reason — he had no intention of getting involved. but if wonwoo wants to think he's going to do something wrong anyway, he might as well. "hey, mingyu, are you coming to the halloween thing next weekend?"</p><p>hyungwon sputters and coughs.</p><p>"halloween thing?" he asks, unclipping the leash from the dog's collar.</p><p>"we're doing an adoption drive. wonwoo can give you the details," soonyoung explains. hyungwon coughs again. wonwoo is very focused on the tablet, but his ears might be turning pink. he's either embarrassed or plotting ways to kill soonyoung. "but you could help answer questions about the dogs," he continues. "temperaments and all that, since you're handling them outside of their cages."</p><p>mingyu's eyes light up. "really? that would be fun. but are you sure? this is only my second week with them, i'm not sure how useful i would be."</p><p>wonwoo acted like being out here instead of helping with surgery was a terrible thing, but soonyoung strongly suspects he <em>wanted</em> to be. he should make him return the bribe for working with jihoon today.</p><p>"it would be great if you could," hyungwon assures him. "we're wearing cat and dog ears to identify ourselves. i assume you'd like dog ones?" </p><p>"yes, please," he nods, then moves to the next cage to collect a small terrier. he squats down and talks to her very calmly as he clips the leash on. soonyoung glances at wonwoo. he's staring at mingyu's back.</p><p>he waits until mingyu stands and faces them to say, "i have patients to monitor, but it was nice meeting you."</p><p>"you, too," he returns, smiling. his canines look like, well, a canine's. it's very fitting.</p><p>the second mingyu has turned away again, soonyoung sticks his tongue out at wonwoo and leaves.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>***</p>
</div>🍚<br/>jihoon walks into the gym and is confronted by a moderately cranky friend, or at least one that is pretending to be moderately cranky. seungcheol is essentially a large puppy. looks intimidating, but mostly wants love and attention.<p>"you're late," he says, already adjusting weights on the machines.</p><p>"my tech was being chatty." it's not really an apology, or a very good explanation, but it'll work. seungcheol has known him for long enough to understand.</p><p>"i thought wonwoo was the quiet one."</p><p>"wasn't wonwoo."</p><p>"ah. the <em>other</em> one."</p><p>jihoon glares, even though seungcheol can't see it.</p><p>"i know this attraction-to-men thing is new for you, but it's been two months."</p><p>"i considered saying something today, but he was wearing a stupid rainbow jacket."</p><p>seungcheol stops what he's doing and looks at him, trying to gauge how serious he is, probably. it's, like, half an excuse. jihoon isn't sure he buys it himself, and it came out of his mouth.</p><p>"i don't see the problem," his friend says.</p><p>"i'm not good at this."</p><p>"no shit. you don't have to spill your life story or complicated gay feelings, maybe just try to let him in a little. see what happens."</p><p>he's right. he usually is. jihoon sighs. "he invited me to stay for a halloween thing next week."</p><p>"interesting."</p><p>"so i'll probably come here early."</p><p>"naturally. wouldn't want your arms to shrivel into nothingness because you miss a day."</p><p>"exactly."</p><p>"wear a tank top when you leave," seungcheol suggests, very obviously eyeing his biceps. "you change when you get there right?"</p><p>"yes, or at least put scrubs on instead of a jacket, but why?"</p><p>"oh my god."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. week two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>🐯<br/>a week later, soonyoung once again finds himself having to beg wonwoo for something jihoon related. he's in the dog kennel — has been a lot lately, despite being a self-proclaimed cat person.</p>
<p>"wonwoo, you have to do the surgeries today."</p>
<p>"oh, hell no. i'm not dressed for it."</p>
<p>"i'll switch tops with you," soonyoung tries to bargain.</p>
<p>"you paid me to get him last week, and now that it's your actual week you don't want it? you know i hate doing dogs."</p>
<p>jihoon came in wearing a tracksuit. which normally wouldn't be a problem, but he took his jacket off to put his top on and had a sleeveless shirt under it. soonyoung is pretty sure his life flashed before his eyes. he has no idea how he's supposed to help him when he Knows what's underneath the scrubs.</p>
<p>so he says, "it's an emergency."</p>
<p>wonwoo rolls his eyes. "tell me the truth and i might consider it."</p>
<p>soonyoung sighs. "i saw his arms."</p>
<p>wonwoo stops sweeping and looks at him properly. "you're fucking kidding me."</p>
<p>"wonwoo, <em>please.</em>"</p>
<p>"nope. have fun with that. you asked for it."</p>
<p>soonyoung <em>will</em> embarrass him in front of mingyu before the day is done. but for the time being, he skulks back to the treatment area. jihoon is reorganizing the surgical paraphernalia, scrub top on. upper arms covered. bless.</p>
<p>he seems confused when he sees soonyoung. "i thought you had an emergency."</p>
<p>"apparently not."</p>
<p>he looks like he's going to say something, but changes his mind. he waves his hand at the cages as if to say "let's get going," so soonyoung grabs the first dog and brings him to the prep table. they don't really talk much about anything other than their work and even though that's basically normal — or has been for the majority of their time together so far — he thought last week was some kind of turning point.</p>
<p>by the time they finish the last dog and reverse the anesthesia, soonyoung is going insane. "are you still planning to stay this afternoon?"</p>
<p>jihoon looks at him like he's grown an extra head. "why wouldn't i?"</p>
<p>"i don't know. you've been quiet. i thought you were mad at me."</p>
<p>there's a long pause while jihoon ties a cone to the dog's collar to prevent him from licking at his incisions. "well now i'm kind of mad that you think i don't honor my commitments, but no, i had a rough day yesterday is all."</p>
<p>soonyoung frowns. "a rough day" in veterinary speak usually means sick animals that you can't do anything for, and he doesn't think anyone ever gets used to it. "i'm sorry. do you want a hug? i'm really good at giving hugs."</p>
<p>jihoon smiles softly, which is a little surprising. "no, thank you. i need to deal with the charts and change," he says. "i can take care of medication, too, if you want to go do other things. bring me a pair of cat ears when you need me, if i really have to wear the damn things."</p>
<p>"are you sure? i can—"</p>
<p>jihoon smiles again and his eyes do this squinty thing and he has cute dimples and he's seen them before but oh, no. "i'm sure."</p>
<p>"okay, i'll see you in an hour, i guess. with cat ears, because yes, you really have to wear the damn things, if only so i can laugh at you. if you get bored back here you can come out front. no one's going to bite."</p>
<p>"sounds good," he nods.</p>
<p>even that's cute. he has no idea why it's only a problem recently, but it seems very unfair that he couldn't continue living without noticing how smart and dedicated and generally attractive jihoon is. funny, too. soonyoung would drop it if he didn't seem interested, but he kind of does, somewhere under the forced detachment. he could answer this question with more blatant flirting, but they work together and the last thing he wants to do is make it awkward.</p>
<p>patience has never been his forte.</p>
<p>terrible.</p>
<p> <br/> <br/>hyungwon is chatting with a pair of men near a cream-colored persian's cage. or one of them is chatting, the other is locked in a staring contest with the cat. it's very entertaining. the cat is a little older, six or so, and came from a home with a new baby. she's been here for too long, soonyoung knows. everyone wants kittens.</p>
<p>hyungwon spots him and subtly waves him closer, looking briefly at the cage. soonyoung gets the message. "she's one of my favorites," he tells the staring contest guy as he approaches. "usually isn't such a fan of strangers, so she's been here for a while."</p>
<p>"really?" he asks, turning his head to glance at soonyoung. "she seems to like my boyfriend, too, and he doesn't totally love cats."</p>
<p>soonyoung chuckles. "not surprised. cats will always find the one person in a room who doesn't love them and make it their mission to change their mind."</p>
<p>"very true."</p>
<p>"has hyungwon taken her out so you can meet each other yet?"</p>
<p>he shakes his head. "they've been talking for a while."</p>
<p>"would you like to?"</p>
<p>"mm. i was waiting for him, but."</p>
<p>"he can join you when he's ready," soonyoung whispers as he reaches to open the cage. "we're going to the small room behind them," he adds once he has the cat in his arms.</p>
<p>the moment he puts her down on the opposite side of the room, she makes a beeline for the guy. soonyoung watches him carefully extend an open palm, the cat knocks her head against it, and he knows they'll be okay. "you can hang out for as long as you want, but i'll be back in a little bit to see how it's going. there are some toys in the corner, if you want to play with her."</p>
<p>"okay, thanks," he mumbles, but his eyes never leave the cat.</p>
<p>when soonyoung exits, hyungwon tells the boyfriend he can go in as well. they both watch through the glass as the cat checks out the guy's shoes and the cat lover of the relationship unleashes a big grin.</p>
<p>soonyoung loves this part — watching animals and their new people fall in love with each other.</p>
<p>"i think she has a new home," hyungwon says as they walk away. "finally."</p>
<p>"yeah?"</p>
<p>hyungwon nods, then pivots the conversation. "how's jihoon today? is he still staying?"</p>
<p>"yep. he said he'll take cat ears 'if he really has to wear the damn things'. i told him he did."</p>
<p>"he doesn't."</p>
<p>"i know, but it'll be adorable."</p>
<p>hyungwon rolls his eyes. "they're at the desk."</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>***</p>
</div>🍚<br/>jihoon is bored.<p>he's done everything he needed to do — faster than usual, even, without soonyoung around to distract him with his humming and general appearance — but a glance at his watch tells him he still has over half an hour until the halloween thing officially starts.</p>
<p>soonyoung seemed a bit rattled by the sleeveless top this morning, so at least there's that. it was a cheap shot, sure, but he isn't exactly scrawny, either.</p>
<p>he brought yet another change of clothes — basically picked out by seungcheol, who insisted he looks good in blue and practically ordered him to wear jeans. even changing only takes a few minutes.</p>
<p>soonyoung <em>did</em> suggest going out front.</p>
<p>he <em>does</em> like cats.</p>
<p>has kind of wanted one for a while, actually, so he checks over his patients one more time before heading out into the main area.</p>
<p>hyungwon was clearly busy this morning — the reception area looks good. very spooky. he doesn't get much farther than that, because he sees soonyoung through the glass windows that surround the cat room, calmly talking with a man in front of a cage.</p>
<p>he's changed, too — into jeans and a slim fit sweater — and it occurs to jihoon that while he comes in wearing street clothes every weekend, he's never seen soonyoung in them. scrubs aren't exactly one of the more flattering choices of attire. the development is a lot for his recently admitted gay tendencies and giant crush to handle.</p>
<p>the best thing he can think to do is go back to the treatment room and nap. he's going to need the mental fortitude to deal with seeing soonyoung in those jeans all afternoon.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>***</p>
</div>🐯<br/>jihoon is sleeping when soonyoung gets back to the treatment room an hour later, headbands in hand. changed out of his scrubs, too, at some point, into a teal tee under a black, fleece jacket with black jeans.<p>he looks very small, somehow. which he is, at least vertically, but the way he usually carries himself makes him seem bigger and there's none of that here. the clothes aren't as "came from the gym" as what he was wearing when he walked in this morning, either.</p>
<p>soonyoung doesn't have words, honestly. he thinks <em>i'm so fucked</em> a millisecond before he's hit by the realization that jihoon probably <em>did</em> come from the gym, if he was planning to stay today instead of going there. he doesn't seem like a person inclined to skip working out for any reason. wouldn't he have showered though? why would he put the sleeveless top on, only to change into scrubs here and then again into a new outfit? that's so much laundry. did he <em>want</em> soonyoung to see his shoulders and arms and stupid collarbone?</p>
<p>he might be malfunctioning. he shouldn't be putting this much thought into clothing. or jihoon's workout schedule.</p>
<p>he eventually decides he's being extremely creepy, shakes it off, and checks on their patients from earlier. all of them are sleeping, but he makes a little more noise than usual retrieving and filling water bowls for them, hoping jihoon will wake up without soonyoung needing to touch him or anything.</p>
<p>thankfully, that's exactly what happens.</p>
<p>he whines. and grumbles. and soonyoung is so, so screwed. like, emotionally, too. "sorry, i didn't mean to wake you."</p>
<p>jihoon stretches his limbs out in front of himself before he replies. "yes, you did. the thing is starting soon. it's okay."</p>
<p>"you don't have to—"</p>
<p>"oh my god, shut up," he groans. "i was bored. i saw you in the cat room, but you were busy, so i came back here to nap. it's not a big deal."</p>
<p>soonyoung grins. jihoon was going to come out front. that seems like a good sign. "cranky when you wake up, huh?" he jokes.</p>
<p>"next time just tap me on the shoulder. there's only a fifty percent chance i'll assume i'm being attacked and try to strangle you."</p>
<p>next time.</p>
<p>okay, then.</p>
<p>"ears are on the prep table."</p>
<p>"i can't believe i'm going to wear those," jihoon mutters.</p>
<p>it occurs to soonyoung that despite all the bitching, he's been given more than one out and hasn't taken them. he's still here. he made an effort to bring extra clothes. and he actually puts the ears on his head, even if he pouts about it the whole time.</p>
<p>soonyoung snorts and puts his own on. jihoon glares, then shakes his head.</p>
<p>"you look good, i swear," soonyoung assures him, guiding him out with hands on his shoulders.</p>
<p>pushing him out. same difference.</p>
<p> <br/> <br/>hyungwon is making last minute adjustments to some decorations while wonwoo and mingyu put adoption forms on clipboards. they aren't talking, but the two of them keep glancing at each other when the other person isn't looking. </p>
<p>"are those two together?" jihoon asks, turning his head to the side to more effectively whisper in the direction of soonyoung's ear.</p>
<p>"not yet, but i'm not imagining the heart eyes, right?"</p>
<p>jihoon doesn't answer him immediately, just turns back to look at them and tilts his head a tiny bit to the side, but eventually says, "no, you're not imagining it."</p>
<p>"mingyu's a new dog walker. wonwoo has been spending a lot of time in the kennels."</p>
<p>"he doesn't like dogs."</p>
<p>"oh, i know."</p>
<p>"so what's your plan?"</p>
<p>"my plan?"</p>
<p>"are you telling me you don't have a plan for getting them together?"</p>
<p>"i hadn't thought about it," soonyoung admits. <em>too busy thinking about you</em> goes unsaid.</p>
<p>hyungwon spots them before jihoon can reply. "hey, strangers. you two are on cat duty. wonwoo and mingyu are on dogs."</p>
<p>jihoon wraps his fingers around soonyoung's wrist. he says, "thanks," almost as an afterthought, because he's already dragging soonyoung in the direction of the cats.</p>
<p>hyungwon did this on purpose.</p>
<p>there's already a couple walking around, holding hands as they check the sheets clipped to each cage with its inhabitant's name, age, history, and medical information — or inhabitants. there's a brother and sister pair that they seem particularly interested in, so soonyoung walks up and starts asking questions about their home and what they're looking for.</p>
<p>he can practically feel jihoon watching him, even as he checks out the cages himself.</p>
<p>one asks a question about diet, because both cats are overweight, and soonyoung could answer it himself but he waves jihoon over anyway. "this is the vet who consults with us a lot," he tells them, then turns to jihoon. "they're interested in how they might be able to help these two shed some of their extra pounds. do you have any recommendations?"</p>
<p>it's like he's pressed a button. he shifts into "veterinarian with clients" mode, which is very different from "veterinarian with technicians" mode, and holy shit. he smiles more. he makes them laugh. he walks the very thin line between not enough information and so much that even the most interested people will tune out or not understand, which can be difficult to do. he even slips them a business card out of his back pocket </p>
<p>it's so bizarre, and soonyoung struggles to keep his expression neutral instead of dragging jihoon into a closet to kiss him for like the next three days. because that would be bad. consent is important, and he definitely doesn't have it — verbal or otherwise.</p>
<p>they end up sending the pair home with the couple, after hyungwon has cleared their paperwork and collected the fees. soonyoung holds his hand up for a high five, but jihoon sticks two fingers out instead. it takes him a second to realize — he's throwing scissors against soonyoung's paper.</p>
<p>incredible.</p>
<p>he makes a fist and jihoon sighs at him, then walks away.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>***</p>
</div>🍚<div class="center">
  <p>
    <strong>seungcheol</strong>
  </p>
</div><p>he threw a rock at my scissors</p>
<p>not exactly revolutionary</p>
<p>yeah but i wanted to kiss him instead of fight him</p>
<p>you should be telling him this<br/>not me</p>
<p>i can't get turned down the first time i hit on a guy</p>
<p>1 what makes you think he'd turn you down<br/>2 hit on jeonghan. he'd make it worth your while.</p>
<p>ew</p>
<p>why ew</p>
<p>jeonghan isn't…<br/>
fucking hell.</p>
<p>realizing you have tunnel vision when it comes to who you want to make out with, huh?<br/>you're welcome.<br/>how'd the full arm reveal go?</p>
<p>think i broke him. before surgery may have been the wrong time.</p>
<p>never a wrong time for breaking boys, my young, gay grasshopper.</p>
<p>jeonghan.</p>
<p>guilty</p>
<p>why do you have cheol's phone?</p>
<p>he's driving.<br/>we decided to come look at dogs!<br/>and your man.</p>
<p>ugh.<br/>
if you tell anyone you know me, i'll disown you.</p>

<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>***</p>
</div>🐯<br/>over the next few hours, six more cats get new homes. soonyoung spots a handful of dogs in the lobby as well, usually with mingyu nearby to give them loads of affection and treats as they're leaving. wonwoo is a cat person through and through, but he could certainly do worse.<p>jihoon eventually reappears. he helps soonyoung collect towels and litter boxes and food bowls and brings them into the back. he takes their surgical patients outside, and gets them into their proper, full-size kennels. </p>
<p>soonyoung thinks maybe he's a little overwhelmed with the people, but he's not going home. he's finding other ways to be useful, and coming back to soonyoung's side when he's had enough time to recharge. soonyoung wouldn't bother, honestly — he doesn't like sticking around in places once he's decided he's had enough.</p>
<p>then again, he might if it were for jihoon.</p>
<p>he doesn't have that long to worry about it before a woman comes in with a young daughter. he greets them, but focuses on giving attention to a senior calico that is obviously stressed by all the commotion.</p>
<p>jihoon joins him again not long after. he gets very close to soonyoung, shoulder brushing his arm, and quietly says, "so wonwoo and mingyu are making out in the kennel."</p>
<p>"they're <em>what?</em>"</p>
<p>"he's got mingyu pinned against a cage. went back there to use the bathroom and saw them through the door."</p>
<p>"i don't believe you. wonwoo would never."</p>
<p>jihoon shrugs and reaches into the cage to take over petting the cat because soonyoung has stopped. he moves soonyoung's hand out of the way — something he'd love to analyze to death if he wasn't glitching at the idea of wonwoo pinning <em>mingyu</em> against a dog cage — and says, "i have no reason to lie, but okay."</p>
<p>he needs to know. <em>needs</em> to know.</p>
<p>"fuck. be right back."</p>
<p>jihoon laughs behind him as he leaves. </p>
<p>soonyoung opens the door to the kennel without bothering to look through the window and his jaw drops open.</p>
<p>wonwoo pushes away from mingyu quickly, but not quickly enough. he realizes it's soonyoung and mutters, "shit," under his breath. mingyu just waves at him, with the hand that was on the back of wonwoo's head ten seconds ago when they were shoving their tongues down each other's throats.</p>
<p>soonyoung loses it. he laughs so hard he can barely breathe, but manages to force out, "sorry, as you were. but not, because oh my god anyone could walk in here," before he backs out of the room.</p>
<p>hyungwon gives him a questioning look on his way back through the lobby, but he just shrugs because if he explains, he's going to laugh himself to death.</p>
<p>the woman and her daughter are still looking at the cats when soonyoung goes back into the room and moves to jihoon's side. the calico has her head tipped into his palm.</p>
<p>"so i guess it's fine that i didn't have a plan yet."</p>
<p>jihoon hums. </p>
<p>the next thing soonyoung notices is a light tug on the bottom of his sweater. he looks down and sees the girl staring up at him. he smiles at her, but before he can say anything, she asks, "are you two going to add that kitty to your family?"</p>
<p>the girl's mother reaches out like she's going to call the girl back. anything soonyoung was going to say dies on his tongue.</p>
<p>jihoon doesn't seem to have the same problem, smiles at the woman and talks to her daughter instead. "we're not a family, sweetheart, but i might take her home."</p>
<p>"oh. we're looking for a kitty for our family."</p>
<p>"you know, it's okay if you don't find the right kitty today. there are lots of kitties that come to stay here when they need a new home. you can try again soon."</p>
<p>the girl looks up at her mother and very maturely says, "can we come back?" she nods and puts a hand on her shoulder to guide her out, quietly saying thank you on the way.</p>
<p>leaving him and jihoon alone, jihoon still petting the calico —  never having stopped in the first place — and soonyoung still speechless.</p>
<p>there's a lot of that going on today, honestly.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>***</p>
</div>🍚<br/>soonyoung is staring at him.<p>thankfully, to be honest, because he catches seungcheol and jeonghan pass by the glass — apparently they weren't lying about looking at dogs. jeonghan grins and waves at him and he has to resist the urge to react. would've been nice if he didn't do it by looking at soonyoung's neck because that presents a whole other problem, but.</p>
<p>soonyoung clears his throat. "were you serious about adopting her?"</p>
<p>jihoon nods. "she's ten. she's been here for months. she seems to like me." he lists off the reasons he's come up with as he's been standing with her. "she's so stressed here, but my house is quiet. i can take care of any medical treatment. do you think there's a better home for her?"</p>
<p>he wasn't planning on taking a cat home today, but sometimes shit just happens. he doesn't want her to have to spend a second longer in a cage.</p>
<p>"i wasn't suggesting you wouldn't be a good cat dad, just surprised," soonyoung clarifies, leaning against the empty cage next to him. "you've never talked about pets. i didn't even know if you were a dog person or a cat person before today."</p>
<p>"oh, i'm a dog person," he deadpans, looking up to meet his eyes. soonyoung snorts and jihoon smirks at him. "she's..." he trails off, glances back at the cat and smiles softly at her, moving his fingers under her chin. "look, i know i'm not an easy person."</p>
<p>"she's you," soonyoung says. no hesitation.</p>
<p>"wow," he replies, dragging it out like he's offended. "are you saying my new child is <em>difficult?</em>"</p>
<p>he's right — jihoon can't deny he sees something of himself in her. most people wouldn't <em>say</em> it, though.</p>
<p>soonyoung puts his hands up in surrender. "doesn't matter what i think. she's not going home with me. you have to actually leave her to fill out the forms, though."</p>
<p>"mm. not if you bring me a clipboard."</p>
<p>soonyoung laughs quietly. "i can do that."</p>
<p>her name is mochi.</p>
<p>he doesn't see any reason to change it.</p>
<p>soonyoung hangs around while he's filling out the adoption forms. when he's done, after hyungwon stubbornly refuses to accept his credit card for the adoption fee, soonyoung helps him load some basic cat supplies and her favorite blanket and toy into his car. he follows him around, even when he leaves with the cat — carrying his gym bag and opening doors and generally assisting in ways that are unnecessary but nice.</p>
<p>he lingers near the car when jihoon is ready to go, too — hands in his pockets like he wants to say something — but mochi is loudly protesting the whole "being in a new place thing," so jihoon thanks him and promises to take plenty of pictures to show him next weekend.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. week three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>very unprofessional kissing in this chapter i do not condone their behavior</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>🐯<br/>"heyyyyy, wonwoo, you know you're an incredible person, right?"</p>
<p>"take him if you think the sexual tension can withstand three cat spays. you know i'd rather be out here anyway."</p>
<p>soonyoung scoffs. "there's no sexual tension." he's wearing his pride jacket again today. not for any particular reason. it's just that all of his zippered hoodies are in the laundry.</p>
<p>"are you being serious right now?"</p>
<p>"he's probably straight."</p>
<p>wonwoo stares at him. "get out," he says, pointing at the door. "do something about it. we're all officially tired of you two after last week."</p>
<p>the upside to the mingyu thing, he thinks as he happily makes his way back to the treatment area, is at least it means he doesn't have to pay wonwoo to switch weeks with him anymore.</p>
<p>the downside, he thinks as he walks into the treatment area, is it means he has to deal with jihoon being all self-assured with a scalpel in his hand. watching him suture is also a special kind of hell, but it's nothing compared to walking in on him changing his top today. soonyoung assumed he had something on under his massive hoodie when he saw him come in. apparently he did not. holy fucking shit.</p>
<p>his brain completely shuts down. he's pretty sure his jaw fell open and also that he's forgotten how to close it.</p>
<p>"am i ever working with wonwoo again?" jihoon asks. super casually as he bends over to pull his scrubs out of his bag. like he doesn't see soonyoung's jaw that he's starting to worry might be dislocated. like he's unaware his gym obsession has garnered results that could rival a fucking statue of adonis and <em>bending over shirtless.</em></p>
<p>his <em>back.</em> what the <em>fuck.</em></p>
<p>"earth to soonyoung?" jihoon tries to get his attention, finally getting the top over his head.</p>
<p>soonyoung finally feels like he has blood circulating in his fingers and toes. "um, you can if you want to. i can go get him."</p>
<p>"i do kind of miss the silence," jihoon hums.</p>
<p>soonyoung has been nothing but silent since he walked in. "that's fair. i talk a lot, especially around someone i..." he stops himself. jihoon's chest broke him. how is he going to help with surgery? what size catheters do cats need again? size — not a thing he should've thought about.</p>
<p>jihoon looks very concerned as he starts setting up supplies. "someone you what?"</p>
<p>"respect," soonyoung replies.</p>
<p>it's not far off. he certainly respects his dedication to his exercise routine.</p>
<p>he manages to get himself together enough to retrieve towels from the cabinet next to him, because god help him if jihoon comes near him right now. he doubts having a meltdown is what wonwoo had in mind when he said "do something about it."</p>
<p>"can you respect me while we get catheters in these girls?" jihoon asks, like absolutely nothing weirdly pivotal in their relationship has happened in the last few minutes.</p>
<p>"what?" soonyoung blinks, then finally processes what he asked. "oh, yeah, sorry it's not done already. you kind of got here earlier than i expected." <em>probably because you didn't bother putting an actual shirt on,</em> he thinks, and immediately regrets it because he can still see jihoon's abs on the back of his eyelids and he needs to remember how to function.</p>
<p>jihoon shakes his head. "i could use the practice, honestly. don't do it much these days."</p>
<p>soonyoung takes a deep breath and gets the first cat out of her cage, bringing her to the table. jihoon places a catheter, damn near flawlessly, in a vein that soonyoung would probably have trouble with.</p>
<p>"could use the practice, huh?" soonyoung asks, pouting as jihoon tapes it to her leg. he's looking down at what he's doing, but soonyoung sees his cheeks move. "even i wouldn't have been able to get that on the first try."</p>
<p>jihoon just shrugs passively. "cat two, please."</p>
<p>the whole "wouldn't mind kissing him a little" thought has turned into a full-fledged "wouldn't mind getting fucked in his car in the parking lot." the timing of this revelation is admittedly not great.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>***</p>
</div>🍚<br/>soonyoung <em>respects</em> him. right.<p>he wasn't really sure there was anything going on, at least not until that blatant lie came out of his mouth. at that point it was just too easy to fuck with him — it's only fair. he places catheters nearly every damn day. he definitely didn't need the practice.</p>
<p>jeonghan <em>did</em> say he should tell him. close enough. he kind of feels bad about the shirtlessness, though. that must've been hard on him.</p>
<p>anyway, spays are boring. soonyoung seems antsy. and cold, because the stupid rainbow jacket has come off. he's cleaning up and getting ready for the second cat when jihoon takes pity on him. or himself, because watching him try to not be cold is distracting. he grabs his hoodie after putting the first cat back in her cage and brings it to him.</p>
<p>soonyoung's expression is something between confusion and utter panic as he looks from the hoodie to jihoon's face.</p>
<p>"take it. i don't care if it gets dirty. i can't deal with you shivering for two more of these."</p>
<p>"thanks," he says quietly, cautiously reaching for it. he slips his arms into the sleeves but leaves it unzipped.</p>
<p>jihoon clears his throat. he's never been someone who had positive reactions to women wearing his clothes. he was apathetic at best, annoyed that he rarely got them back at worst. he made a gross miscalculation based on a poor sample size and now he's paying for it, because christ, this is <em>bad</em>.</p>
<p>he has no idea how one man can wreak this much havoc on his libido.</p>
<p>fucking kwon soonyoung.</p>
<p>so yeah, spays two and three are equally stressful.</p>
<p>he's stitching up the last cat, almost free from the forced proximity, when his mouth takes over. soonyoung is gathering surgical instruments into a pile, humming, and his brain betrays him. of course it does. "when you said you respect me, what were you actually going to say?"</p>
<p>the clink of metal stops, for the briefest of moments, before it starts again. "admire?" soonyoung replies.</p>
<p>jihoon clips the suture on his last stitch and looks up at him. "you're so full of shit."</p>
<p>soonyoung smirks. "going to go get these cleaned," he says, completely dodging the question.</p>
<p> <br/> <br/>the way jihoon sees it, now that he can't force himself to focus on surgery, he has a couple of options. he could kiss soonyoung, probably date him, and hope that maybe he'll be less distracting — intentionally or otherwise, because he's pretty sure soonyoung does a lot of what he does knowing it will fluster him — or he could let it go. pretend he believes soonyoung wasn't going to say he likes him. pretend it doesn't mean anything that soonyoung was switching responsibilities with wonwoo to spend more mornings with him.</p>
<p>neither option is particularly appealing. there's still a part of him that's concerned he's leaping to conclusions. the whole bi thing has kind of thrown him for a loop — more than usual in romantic situations. on top of that, he doesn't want soonyoung to win, but he doesn't really want to lose either. god, when did not kissing his tech at a volunteer position become losing?</p>
<p>the cat starts to wake up, so he brings her to her cage, tabling the argument with himself for a few minutes while he finishes cleaning up.</p>
<p>soonyoung wanders off to change, comes back while he's scribbling in charts at the cages, still wearing jihoon's hoodie over his plain white shirt, even though he has his own jacket that he could definitely put back on. he moves to the first cage and opens it for no reason other than to give the cat attention — so probably just to stand there and be annoying in jihoon's clothes because he <em>knows.</em></p>
<p>jihoon makes a point of narrowly focusing on the chart in front of him when he says, "i didn't really figure out i could imagine myself with men until a few months ago."</p>
<p>soonyoung purses his lips at the cat he's busy fawning over. it takes him a couple of seconds to respond. "interesting timing."</p>
<p>"is it?"</p>
<p>"it was wonwoo, wasn't it?" he asks, feigning seriousness, because he's the absolute worst.</p>
<p>"what can i say? his flat ass made me feel things."</p>
<p>soonyoung nods. "understandable," he says, then starts talking softly to the cat about what a pretty girl she is and how kittens would ruin her youthful figure and she'll thank them later.</p>
<p>jihoon rolls his eyes and replaces the chart he was working on.</p>
<p>soonyoung lightly grabs his wrist and stops him from pulling away, shutting the cage with his other hand. "what are we doing?"</p>
<p>"well, i'm finishing up charts. or trying to." he wiggles his fingers but doesn't break out of soonyoung's grip, even though he could without much effort. "i don't know what you're doing, honestly."</p>
<p>"you know that's not what i mean."</p>
<p>jihoon sighs. "i know. i don't know. can we just finish this?" he looks up and it's probably a terrible mistake.</p>
<p>"yeah," soonyoung agrees. "we can do that."</p>
<p>sometimes he has this very innocent but intense expression, almost as if he has no thoughts, no sense of any world outside whatever he's focused on. he had it a lot last weekend. in retrospect, jihoon realizes soonyoung had it when he was watching him leave with mochi. and he has it now, shifting his eyes between his fingers around jihoon's wrist and his face like he's in awe of the whole situation.</p>
<p>soonyoung tries to release him, but jihoon makes some ridiculous impulsive decision and twists his hand to grabs his fingers. "can we get lunch, too?"</p>
<p>the shift into teasing mode is nearly instantaneous, even though he must know jihoon is serious. "i mean, not this sec—"</p>
<p>jihoon grasps his own damn hoodie and tugs, effectively cutting him off. he gets a second of a laugh out, but he bends down and that's all that matters — jihoon cuts off the laugh, too, by kissing him. he has to stop sooner than he'd like, because soonyoung is too fucking tall. it's not fair, really.</p>
<p>and he might be able to read minds, because he breaks away, whines like it wasn't his own damn fault, and backs jihoon up to one of the counters. which was a decent idea, he has to admit.</p>
<p>jihoon doesn't think much about jumping up. the counters are clean. he doesn't really want to stop for good — or for however long it would take to get to a spot they could do this again, because he thinks they definitely will — because soonyoung is a very good kisser. whatever. it makes it slightly easier to avoid muscle strain.</p>
<p>soonyoung pulls him close again with palms on either side of his face. it's weird if he lets himself think about it — his hands are big and the hoodie that's so huge on jihoon is less huge on soonyoung and boys are just different, but this one especially, unfortunately. he kissed seungcheol once, mostly as a test. jeonghan, too. this is better. and the borrowed clothing <em>really</em> isn't helping. or is? who fucking knows.</p>
<p>"you look so hot in that stupid hoodie," he groans, pausing more than once to nip at soonyoung's bottom lip and press his fingers into his shoulders.</p>
<p>he can feel soonyoung smile as he moves to his neck and runs his hands over his thighs. "probably not as hot as you looked out of it."</p>
<p>jihoon pushes his hair back, tips his head to the side to give soonyoung better access and hums. "definitely not. close, though." he sighs, making a small and entirely embarrassingly pleased noise when soonyoung focuses his attention on the space below his jaw. his heels press against soonyoung's lower back on their own, really.</p>
<p>he steps closer — not that there's much room in the first place — and squeezes jihoon's waist, then seems to think better of it. "we should— fuck, hang on."</p>
<p>"probably."</p>
<p>soonyoung pulls him back in, but groans and pushes him away after a few seconds. "no. not what i'm suggesting right now."</p>
<p>"stop. we should stop. i know."</p>
<p>"i was going to say we should pick up some food and go to your place, actually. unless you have to go to the gym."</p>
<p>"food and my place isn't swinging a sword around or horseback riding, but it could be a fun gym substitute anyway."</p>
<p>"it could be both of those things depending on—"</p>
<p>jihoon rolls his eyes and clamps a hand over soonyoung's mouth. he stops talking, just laughs instead — muffled but still very cute — as jihoon pushes him away so he can hop off the counter.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. week four/epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>think i fought with this ending bit the most, so that's cool, but i really wanted <em>something</em> after the actual getting together part, because i think that's fun but also i didn't want to be tempted to write more later or it'd end up like my kihyuk fic in this au with a whole chapter of borderline smut that i hate and suck at writing? so uh. sorry this is short or whatever.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>🐯<br/>
"did you steal my jacket again?" soonyoung calls into the bathroom, where jihoon is drying his hair.</p><p>"you're wearing my last clean sweatshirt."</p><p>"okay, so we could just switch?"</p><p>"dog spays, babe. you'll be cold."</p><p>"walking in wearing my jacket is kind of a statement. hyungwon will know we're sleeping together immediately." he hasn't even told wonwoo.</p><p>"guess it's good that's all we're doing, then," jihoon says as he walks out. he heads right to soonyoung and lifts himself onto his toes so he can pull him down — soonyoung offering zero resistance, of course — and kiss him briefly.</p><p>they've been hanging out all week. usually at jihoon's place, because it's nicer and he has mochi to take care of. they eat dinner and talk about their days and jihoon has made it clear he needs alone time, which soonyoung is fine with. they whine and drag each other to bed when tired, but haven't done anything except make out like teenagers.</p><p>jihoon doesn't admit it, but soonyoung can tell he's at least a little anxious. he remembers his first relationship with a guy and doesn't want to force anything. plus, their jobs are kind of exhausting.</p><p>it's oddly domestic, but it's not like they're strangers, so it's working out, mixed-up wardrobes aside — keeping track of scrubs has been a nightmare. he wouldn't be so inclined to steal clothes if his boyfriend wore anything that fit him properly, but he doesn't, and it's just too easy to hijack items from his closet.</p><p>"it looks fine on you, i guess," soonyoung admits. he doesn't point out that he could be convinced to wear long sleeves and not need another layer at all, freeing up jihoon's hoodie he's currently wearing, or that he knows jihoon has other jackets and doesn't <em>need</em> to wear his. "i should get going so i can set up. i'll see you in a bit?"</p><p>"i still don't get why we can't go together."</p><p>"nope. i'm not letting a shared car be the reason you skip the gym. you're scary when you do that."</p><p>"you could come with me."</p><p>soonyoung ignores him. "and because you really want to stop and get your boyfriend coffee."</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>***</p>
</div>🍚<br/>hyungwon doesn't know they're sleeping together immediately, because hyungwon isn't at the desk. mingyu is, for some reason. he squints at jihoon and opens his mouth to say something, but closes it when a coffee cup is placed in front of him.<p>jihoon got everyone coffee. soonyoung has made him a little soft. it's fine.</p><p>"where are hyungwon and your other half?"</p><p>"running late and helping <em>your</em> other half, apparently. i knew his sweatshirt looked familiar." </p><p>"yeah, just drink your coffee, you giant. give hyungwon this one when he gets here," jihoon tells him, ignoring the stupid smirk on his face and turning to walk away.</p><p>mingyu says "thank you" as he does, but it's laced with far too much amusement for jihoon's taste.</p><p>wonwoo isn't any better. he's facing the door when jihoon enters the treatment room, restraining a dog for soonyoung, whose back is to him. he snorts when he sees jihoon. "i knew it. <em>he</em> refused to tell me."</p><p>jihoon shrugs as he puts the coffee tray on the counter and drops his bag. "it's not a big deal."</p><p>soonyoung doesn't turn until he's done taping a catheter in place and wonwoo is moving the dog back to her cage. he's smiling and jihoon is stupidly weak. it's so annoying. "i've been thinking. i thought i was responsible for you and mingyu," he tells wonwoo as if he's imparting wisdom only he has, "and you probably think you were responsible for me and jihoon. but what if hyungwon is responsible for all of us? i feel like we should find him a boyfriend."</p><p>"you don't actually think he was responsible for all of us, you just want to mess with him," wonwoo argues. he takes the coffee with his name on it and thanks jihoon quietly.</p><p>jihoon briefly nods at him before directing his attention to soonyoung, who is pouting. "it's okay, we're not judging you."</p><p>"i just want to do something nice for him."</p><p>wonwoo shakes his head. "you two can argue about this, i'm leaving."</p><p>soonyoung waits until he's gone before moving to the counter where jihoon is standing and running his finger down one side of the zipper on his stupid jacket. soonyoung's stupid jacket, that he practically made him wear. "you know how i said that jacket looks fine on you?" he asks, leaning much closer than necessary to get his coffee. "changed my mind. it's sexy as hell."</p><p>jihoon can feel his ears heating up and sighs — as much at himself for being weak as at soonyoung for winding him up so easily. "if you didn't have coffee in your hand right now, i'd kick your ass for trying to distract me when we have surgeries to do."</p><p>"oh, i know," soonyoung replies, smirking. "that's why i waited until i had coffee in my hand."</p><p>he rolls his eyes. "the sooner we get this over with, the sooner i can go to the gym." <em>to burn off sexual frustration</em> might be implied, if soonyoung is smart. <em>and meet you back at my place</em> almost certainly is, regardless.</p><p>rationally, he knows soonyoung has to go home at some point. as long as that point isn't today or tomorrow — their one whole day off to stay in bed and nap in between trying to cook, giving up because soonyoung refuses to let him go long enough to get anything done, and finally ordering takeout — jihoon is fine with it. </p><p>finding someone as chaotic and infuriating and breathtaking — as utterly <em>life-changing</em>, really — as soonyoung wasn't part of his plan, but he thinks he did pretty well for himself.</p><p>he even got a cat out of it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>last chapter is just reference images, again, so feel free to go there if you want, or don't. thanks for making it here, etc., and any kudos/comments you might feel like leaving. ♡</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. ref image overload</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>SO. MANY. REFERENCE IMAGES. you don't have to care about this, i just wanted them to exist and there were too many to casually link, but you can click them to go to the full-size versions.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span class="u">soonyoung</span><br/>
<a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c2/49/b9/c249b9fc32e7b0932fd717b40360b2d0.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fa/dd/a8/fadda8bf4e57a968e1276bbe2be74cad.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7b/b2/f9/7bb2f9f1c104761ef800ad2741b7758b.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e4/85/5d/e4855dfd696fd78cdbec2199b4de5336.jpg"></a></p><p> <br/>
 <br/>
<span class="u">jihoon</span> i don't have an arms pic but, like. arms. we Know.<br/>
<a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6d/39/6d/6d396da1fc8c6174d1b1db960d932b58.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8b/ca/2d/8bca2dcbbf87cbe7c02993979fc30723.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/21/04/15/210415818f94b0bd0dbd3c18e71d0e6e.jpg"></a></p><p> <br/>
 <br/>
<span class="u">wonwoo</span><br/>
<a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/71/b6/95/71b695fd15a96e1b63fbb297e30a8580.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/01/0c/74/010c744958b6d72792bfc52614db2003.jpg"></a></p><p> <br/>
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<span class="u">just... this.</span><br/>
<a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/75/42/5a/75425a071caeea9b1d506b3951f71387.jpg"></a></p><p> <br/>
 <br/>
<span class="u">hyungwon</span> because look at hiiiiiiim.<br/>
<a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3a/66/b6/3a66b6297afab6e0585edf79981f1235.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7f/68/ef/7f68ef8ee5cc098d4464234121b03b87.jpg"></a></p><p> <br/>
 <br/>
<span class="u">mingyu</span><br/>
<a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d9/a9/ba/d9a9ba26607fd251ba40accdc5ad2c4a.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/64/4d/9d/644d9db9654755787d5c343a5cdc86ea.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/19/6c/0d/196c0dbf705ef4ce1f22ab013af9b1e5.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/72/12/74/721274e2d58c7c098535f7bcef55ecc1.jpg"></a></p><p> <br/>
 <br/>
<span class="u">soonyoung &amp; jihoon</span> i'm sure everyone knows about the jacket or whatever, but.<br/>
<a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2b/d2/70/2bd2706a76e8507f39f279f439df259c.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/69/cd/06/69cd0698170dd61ff590bbbae7e1dd47.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4e/5c/e4/4e5ce4924841603593507aef6deeb745.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8d/0f/54/8d0f54e11e02dcf9bdbbe0db3b73421c.jpg"></a></p><p> <br/>
 <br/>
<span class="u">wonwoo &amp; mingyu</span> because why not. first one especially kind of made me put them in this to begin with.<br/>
<a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ec/03/06/ec0306b4eb3fc6f22d881efed58e66de.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/23/49/99/234999d9ada0d113219c48888f07e85b.jpg"></a> <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a8/7e/c5/a87ec576f5f1ed98e8d4f46dc74a149f.jpg"></a></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>pretend i didn't forget to put an end note on this chapter. if you decided to check out pictures of boys, hello! thank you again for reading. or maybe you just skipped straight to boys and are going back to read idk. anyway, really, thanks for getting here. i consider 9k to be a serious time investment to read, and this au is kind of heavy on weirdly detailed vet stuff bc i have training in the field? so i'm glad people are even here at all. everyone stay healthy, happy holidays if it's not like march when you read this.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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